It’s been a while since we’ve had a genuinely special official Xbox controller design. Sure, the Forza Horizon 6 pad seemed like a strangely enticing homage to the Saved by the Bell intro — pink Xbox light and all — but it didn’t exactly go all out. Not like the Gears of War: E-Day controller does, anyway.
The Gears of War: E-Day Limited-Edition Xbox Controller, retailing at $89.99 and already understandably out of stock, just looks and presumably feels exactly like fans want it to. It’s not reinventing the wheel in its design: it simply combines two of the series’ most iconic assets to honor the franchise’s 20-year anniversary.
So says Xbox: “Drawing from the E-holes that scar the world of Gears of War: E-Day, the controller features 3D molded, laser-etched details of cracked asphalt with red, glowing cracks created by the power of an erupting E-hole, exposing the iconic Crimson Omen beneath the surface.” The fact it’s layered is one thing, but the finish is complemented by some more gorgeous little ideas.
My personal favorite: the controller blacks out the A, B, and Y buttons but incorporates the X into the wider skull design with a transparent red finish, complemented by matching red triggers and a transparent D-pad. There’s a dark silver metallic COG tag on the battery door, and it even has the single best saving grace: textured grips, which presumably won’t look dirty after plenty of use, because they’re also black.
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What’s more, Xbox has even paired up with 8BitDo to create a matching charging dock (with a rechargeable battery) for $39.99, though it apparently doesn’t light up, which is a bit of a shame.
Perhaps I’m getting overexcited, and feeling the itch of capitalism, as the last official Xbox controller I picked up was the Starfield one in 2023, alongside the Starfield headset. And the Starfield console wrap. You can’t argue with their designs, even if you can argue with the game (though I’m told it’s a lot better since my abandoned 30-hour launch run… I’ll add it to the bottom of the pile of shame).
I’ve been perfectly happy with my GameSir G7 Pro since I bought it — truly the best elite-lite controller I’ve ever used, especially its $99 wireless counterpart. The closest I’ve come to getting another official Xbox controller that I don’t need was last year, when Microsoft dropped two for DOOM: The Dark Ages. The standard green controller, with its battle-worn, blood-stained, orange-LB finish, was cartoonishly attractive, but certainly no deal-breaker at $80.
That’s not all — there’s a second E-Day-flavored controller design courtesy of the Xbox Design Lab, created by British heavy metal illustrator Luke Preece.
The custom top case features a skull above crossed Lancers, surrounded by extra skulls. Microsoft also promotes its metallic triggers and D-pads, rubberized grips, and a personalized engraving, but it’s still a standard case — not quite the 3D-etched beauty you can hopefully get soon via a restock. Fingers crossed we can grab a second bite of the cherry soon.
